The proposal, the analyst said, provides “an additional option to further improve traffic safety while potentially providing a fiscal benefit to the state and local governments.”

Schwarzenegger's budget predicted the cameras would fill California’s empty coffers with about $337.9 million through June 2011. The analyst was less confident about that figure, suggesting fewer cameras would likely be installed and some fines would fail to be collected.

Still, the endorsement provides a boost to the plan. On Tuesday, the analyst criticized Schwarzenegger's proposal for a constitutional amendment requiring more money be spent on higher education than prisons.